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Complete list of Helios lenses - getting closer
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
According to experts in Eastern Europe


Yes, please reference these experts. I've read Princelle's book front to back around 3 times along with articles by Ryshkov and Syrov. I also have a Soviet History degree and I speak Russian. I personally have 68 Soviet lenses in my collection. I know a fair bit.

Quote:
KMZ made M39 lenses are denoted with the first two numbers being the year of manufacture


Ok. Yeah, that's been repeated a thousand times in this forum and many others. It's true for the most part. It isn't black and white though. I'm trying to say that MMZ did not always follow this pattern and there are several examples from KMZ that don't either.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a Helios 44-2 and no serial is on the front of the lens. 9029140 is in green letters on the side.

Some photos here http://imgur.com/a/FI0FS

Any idea of the year or version?


PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cyrusuncc wrote:
I have a Helios 44-2 and no serial is on the front of the lens. 9029140 is in green letters on the side.

Some photos here http://imgur.com/a/FI0FS

Any idea of the year or version?


It's listed in post #2. JOV factory, 1990.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

is that the "44-2 model 3.a"?


PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cyrusuncc wrote:
is that the "44-2 model 3.a"?


3.c


PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Helios 44 KMZ N°0048xxx silver 13-blades f16 M39
Has nasty purple flare, very disappointed. Crying or Very sad


PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This thread made me register on this forum! Great work no-X


PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello all Smile

I love my Helios 44-2 too ... It was my first manual focus lens and it was the reason, that got me shooting with oldies, but goldies Smile ...

I can buy for 15EU another Helios, but this time MC 44M-4 ... and run a comparison ... Smile


PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome to the forum, I hope you realise you are now on a slippery slope Wink Laughing
A Helios 44-2 was my first mf lens purchase...then I bought another..and another..etc..etc Rolling Eyes Laughing


PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My Helios 28-70 f3.5-3.8 is not listed Very Happy

I don't even know if it's a real Helios :

The one on the left :



PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ghost2501 wrote:
My Helios 28-70 f3.5-3.8 is not listed Very Happy

I don't even know if it's a real Helios :

The one on the left :


This is for sure not Russian lens and doesn't belong to this thread.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SonicScot wrote:
Welcome to the forum, I hope you realise you are now on a slippery slope Wink Laughing
A Helios 44-2 was my first mf lens purchase...then I bought another..and another..etc..etc Rolling Eyes Laughing


So very true... I got my 44M-4 like early April. Now it's early June and I just sold my first AF lens, having already 4 MF ones and I'm afraid this is not the end. Soon they will have to put warnings on the Helios like they do on cigarettes - Highly addictive!


PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This thread is how I found this forum after doing a web search on "Helios Lens". The information is fascinating and I am surprised it hasn't been moved into the "Lens Sticky" section. A great piece of research and lots of interesting contributions.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought this KMZ Helios 44-2 with distance scale in feet (SN:0094XXX) only last week. Just a little bit confused which version it is. Any idea?
btw, is it possible "reserved for politics or VIP"?



PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

takealook wrote:
I bought this KMZ Helios 44-2 with distance scale in feet (SN:0094XXX) only last week. Just a little bit confused which version it is. Any idea?
btw, is it possible "reserved for politics or VIP"?


Welcome!
Very interesting, never saw Helioses marked in feet. I am sure those weren't made for the communist party members Smile


PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dimitrygo wrote:

Very interesting, never saw Helioses marked in feet. I am sure those weren't made for the communist party members Smile


They were reserved for bribing Western politicians and paying spies.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dimitrygo: Thanks anyway~
fermy: Are you sure about it? "bribing Western politicians and paying spies"? woo~~~ sound's........ hahaha~~~

There is another interesting thing I discovered about this lens.
The lens is "black + white lettering" but numeric of distance scale in yellow.
So~~~ Is it still belong to categories of "black + white lettering" or should be "black + colored lettering" (classic version)??


PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

takealook wrote:
dimitrygo: Thanks anyway~
fermy: Are you sure about it? "bribing Western politicians and paying spies"? woo~~~ sound's........ hahaha~~~

There is another interesting thing I discovered about this lens.
The lens is "black + white lettering" but numeric of distance scale in yellow.
So~~~ Is it still belong to categories of "black + white lettering" or should be "black + colored lettering" (classic version)??

I think due to feet scale it's already a separate version regardless of colors


PostPosted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah think that some time in the past the "ft" has been added (inexpertly), perhaps the vendor hoped that folk would think the lens was rarer than it is. The reason ah think that is - the series of numbers is metric...1,7-1,8-1,9-2. If it was feet it would be 1.5-2-3-4-6-7-10 etc, (approximately). point 7, point 9 of a foot would not be used, point 5 , yes


PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TAo2 wrote:
Ah think that some time in the past the "ft" has been added (inexpertly), perhaps the vendor hoped that folk would think the lens was rarer than it is. The reason ah think that is - the series of numbers is metric...1,7-1,8-1,9-2. If it was feet it would be 1.5-2-3-4-6-7-10 etc, (approximately). point 7, point 9 of a foot would not be used, point 5 , yes


The MFD is 0.5m which is equal to 1.7ft.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 3:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps the lens was rebuilt from "cannibalised" parts from other lenses, which may explain the different paint colours? Cool


PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TAo2 wrote:
Perhaps the lens was rebuilt from "cannibalised" parts from other lenses, which may explain the different paint colours? Cool

I believe it's an original lens, most chances export version made for some specific market.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi dimitrygo,

yer probably correct but it's so unusual that one's first instinct is tae cry "Fake". Cool


PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My contribution tae this excellent thread...


#1


Helios 44 KMZ M39 (silver) 13 blades Serial No. N°0071766

Using no-X's list (page 1-his first post) Category 1c.

It fits the criteria of his second post "N°0018xxx-0072xxx-silver, no data, probably 13 blades" so ah can confirm his assumption. That group has 13 blades, year of production for this lens is 1961 (provenance in a following post).


#2


Helios 44 KMZ M42 (black+white) 8 blades Serial No. N0442429

Category 1f , fits criteria "N0075xxx-n0521xxx" pre 1970


#3


Helios 44 front view.



#4


From the left...

(i) Helios 44-2 KMZ M42 8 blades Serial No. N0056579 (black+white) -

Category 1a.v1 (Likely pre 1970). While this lens fits no-X's first post category, it doesn't fit his second category " N0075xxx-0521xxx" (second post). Judging by the above ser. no., it's fresh evidence of a longer, earlier production run. This lens is identical in every respect tae the Helios 44 (b+w) above.

(ii) Helios 44-2 MMZ M42 8 blades Serial No. N7 237 490 (zebra)

Category 2a.v2. This serial no. begins N7 not N°7 and it is curiously spaced. Could just be an engraving error but it doesn't fit no-X's criteria (second post) "early zebras-90 (1969) 00 (1970) 10 (1971) nor does it fit the system change from 1971, when it was numbers only eg. 71xxx-72xxx etc.

This is half the fun of collecting and using these lenses! Ah'm inclined tae two possibilities, 1967 or 1970. Or it's mebbe just an anomoly during the system change. Any thoughts?


iii) Helios 44-2 Valdai M42 8 blades Serial No. 7729991 (classic colouring)

Straightforward - 1977


#1
[/b]

Helios 44-M KMZ M42 8 blades A/M switch Serial No. 7605576 (classic colouring)

Again straightforward - 1976


#1


Helios 44 KMZ (silver) 13 blades


#2


Helios 44 KMZ (black+white) 8 blades


#3


Helios 44-2 KMZ (black+white) 8 blades

#4


Helios 44-M KMZ (classic colouring) 8 blades


Last edited by TAo2 on Sun Jul 15, 2012 5:29 am; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:42 pm    Post subject: Any Russian speakers? Reply with quote

Below is the provenance for the Helios 44 (silver) in the above post...



#1


Using a cyrillic alphabet and Google, ah got "passport" and the dates (ah think).

The right-hand one is for the lens - no. N°0071766. Am I correct in assuming that the lens and camera were both registered in January 1962, which would make the lens produced in 1961?

The other "passport" is for a Zenit 3 camera.

Thanks in advance Cool